Shalom siyach—welcome to my new look blog!

I have been wanting to redo this website for about a year now. A week or so ago I got tired of waiting and decided to bite the bullet.

The website has also been renamed Siyach—(Café) on the Rock now redirects here. The about page has been updated to explain why I chose this name. In short, I wanted to make this website more of a reflection of myself. Throughout the past six years in which I have had this website, I have had many ambitions for it, but the only thing which has panned out was the blog. I do get encouraging feedback on what I write, so I have decided to focus on that and not pretend that the website is more than my reflections projected into the ether.

Siyach is a Hebrew word which, according to Strong, means "meditate", "muse", "complain" and "talk". Other definitions include "groan", "study", "consider", "ponder", "speak", "concern" and "plait". The true meaning of siyach is an intersection of the meanings of these English words and concepts. I prefer the association with "meditate"; the about page describes the surface and deeper meanings more fully. Some of the other definitions may not make it seem like a positive word. I do not think that siyach is necessarily negative. However, these "negative" definitions do point to the heaviness of the topics which I often cover on this website. Some may think that they are "too serious"—I believe that these topics are genuinely important and am concerned at what seems like a lack of interest or investment by many people in these topics, especially in this age of escapism and digital distractions. By bringing my frustrations, confusion, complaints and ignorance to God, I trust in His grace to reveal to me what a life in Christ should (and not how we desire it must) look like, and that I may have the opportunity to share with others.

I intend on continuing to focus on topics of Christian apologetics and theology. I have also found a natural inclination to exploring the Christian worldview and how it relates to the contemporary world. The focus on this is important to me for two reasons. Firstly, I notice many Christians who live with disconnects in their lives; whose basic worldview beliefs are not influencing their thoughts, attitudes and behaviours to be different from those around them who have a completely different worldview. I believe that this is a disservice to Christ who has called us to be a new creation—although I do not necessarily blame these people, because the influence of secular culture is strong and many leaders in the church do not seem to reinforce Christ-like thinking and compassion. The second reason why exploring the Christian worldview is important to me is to give the non-Christian a glimpse into this worldview. Christians bear many stereotypes, many of which are negative and are coloured by the failings of Christians (as sinners), and not their Christ-likeness. Non-Christians may think that Christian faith and thought is foolish, unfounded and nothing more than wishful thinking, all while being ignorant of the rich heritage of thought, philosophy and sacrifice which has shaped generations of believers, including some of the most intelligent, sacrificial and determined figures of history. These people were not carried along by wishful thinking, but shaped by the unique love which Jesus of Nazareth revealed to the world. I therefore invite non-Christians to read and discuss, to discover what it is that the follower of Christ believes, if for no other reason that they have a richer understanding of the most challenging and offensive belief system in the world.

I hope to continue in graceful and loving service to whomever comes to these pages. Please pray that I may serve faithfully, in whatever capacity.

Grace and peace.